Last season was the first time he was a full-time starter, appearing in 13 games and starting all of them at left guard. He appeared in 28 games with 15 starts over the first three seasons of his career. Green became a free agent in March and was not re-signed by San Diego.

Mattes was a four-year starter at guard and tackle at North Carolina State. He is listed at 6-6, 313 pounds.

The release of Deaderick is a bit of a surprise. A 2010 seventh-round pick out of Alabama, Deaderick played in 14 games last season with five starts; he was on the field for 374 defensive snaps, or 34.1 percent of the Patriots’ snaps.

He had 14 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup.

Deaderick, 25, played in 20 games over his first two seasons, starting five games in 2011 and four in ’10.

The team suspended him at the end of his rookie season for missing or being late for several team meetings.

Holmes was signed to the practice squad late last season. According to the league transaction wire, he was officially released Friday. The Raiders were awarded Holmes off waivers Monday.

Nix steps down

Not getting any younger and confident he’s put in place a young foundation capable of turning the Bills into a winner, Buddy Nix called this the right time to step down as general manager. ‘‘I think at some point, you've got to step aside and let young guys that are qualified have their shot,’’ Nix said Monday during a hastily called news conference shortly after the Bills completed a voluntary minicamp practice. ‘‘I never put a timetable on it. I always felt like I’d know when it was the right time. And I think it’s the right time.’’ The 73-year-old Nix will not be leaving the team entirely. He’ll instead move into a newly created role as a special assistant. Nix steps down two weeks after overseeing his fourth draft with the Bills, which the team opened by selecting its quarterback of the future in Florida State’s EJ Manuel with the 16th pick. And his departure comes with Buffalo in the midst of yet another start-from-scratch overhaul under new coach Doug Marrone. Assistant GM Doug Whaley, entering his fourth season in Buffalo, is expected to take over . . . Ex-Nevada coach Chris Ault is taking a job as a consultant with the Chiefs. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that Ault’s agent confirmed the deal Monday. The 66-year-old Ault spent 28 years coaching and also served as athletic director at Nevada. He retired Dec. 28. He’s best known as the architect of the innovative Pistol offense that became a mainstay at the college level and is making inroads in the NFL. Ault will be joining the staff of Andy Reid, the new Chiefs coach formerly with the Eagles . . . The Cardinals hired ex-Jacksonville executive Terry McDonough as Eastern regional scout. McDonough spent the past 10 seasons with the Jaguars, the final four as director of player personnel . . . The Cardinals signed their second-round pick, linebacker Kevin Minter, and released former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Te’o debuts

Philip Rivers thought Manti Te’o had a decent first interaction with Chargers veterans. ‘‘It didn’t seem like he was lost or anything. He didn’t stand out, which was a good thing,’’ Rivers said after the Chargers’ first practice of organized team activities. Te’o did get matched up with star tight end Antonio Gates a few times, which was ‘‘a quick welcome, Day 1,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘Today was a good first day,’’ said inside linebacker Donald Butler, who will be paired with Te’o in the Chargers’ 3-4 defense. The only person who didn’t get to talk about Te’o’s performance was Te’o. The team pulled an end run and kept Te’o away from a large media contingent that hoped to find out from the player how he felt after mixing it up with vets for the first time. Te’o, the linebacker from Notre Dame, was picked by the Chargers in the second round after slipping out of the opening round in part because of a poor performance in a blowout loss to Alabama in the national championship game. He also was part of a hoax involving an imaginary girlfriend that drew national headlines . . . Justin Blackmon pinned his problems on his decisions. Blackmon, suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, acknowledged Monday that he’s at a crossroads in his career and his personal life. But the Jaguars wide receiver insisted he doesn’t have an alcohol or substance-abuse problem. ‘‘Out of this whole thing one of the main things I would say that I had a problem with was just making a poor decision, making a selfish decision at that and not thinking about the long term of it and just thinking about at the time,’’ Blackmon said following the team’s first organized team activity . . . Ex-Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith was sentenced to six years in prison for drug possession and weapons charges. The Mississippi Department of Corrections’ website says the 44-year-old Smith entered the prison system in late March. He was sentenced by a Madison County court to two years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and four years for cocaine possession.

Tisch on Tebow

Giants co-owner Steve Tisch thinks Tim Tebow’s time with the Jets was a mistake. Tisch told TMZ in a video posted on its website Monday that Tebow going to the Jets last offseason from Denver was ‘‘not in anybody’s best interest.’’ TMZ spoke to Tisch in Los Angeles Sunday night. Tebow was released by the Jets two weeks ago after one disappointing and unproductive season in New York. Tisch says he feels ‘‘badly for the guy,’’ and if any team other than the Jets had acquired him ‘‘maybe he’d have a career.’’ Tebow is currently a free agent. Tisch said Tebow’s ‘‘got talent’’ and is ‘‘not a bad quarterback.’’ . . . The Chiefs signed running back Knile Davis, a third-round pick out of Arkansas. Davis was selected 96th overall in the draft . . . The Titans signed free agent defensive tackle Antonio Johnson. Johnson started 13 games and made 30 tackles last year for the Colts.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Shalise Manza Young can be reached at syoung­@globe.com.

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